


The 105

by BettyHT



Series: Annie [3]
Category: Bonanza
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-13
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-08-23 02:51:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16610480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BettyHT/pseuds/BettyHT
Summary: The third Adam and Annie story.  Some of Adam's bad memories bother his sleep, but others who remember have revenge in mind. He needs his family backing him up on this one as he is falsely accused. Some trouble for Hoss' romantic relationship adds to the complex situation.





	The 105

The 105

Chapter 1 Four years earlier.

"It ain't right that he walks around free as a bird after what he's done."

"Yeah, Nate, all those men died, and he gets away from the Paiute with nary a scratch. You know he was working with em. He had to be."

"What was that final tally? I think they said over seventy dead and about half that wounded. He oughta pay for that."

"Yeah, Paul, just because he's a Cartwright and the fighting is over for now, everyone is willing to look the other way. Well I ain't cause I knew a lot of those men who died. The Paiute War may be over, but there's still some justice to be done."

"But, Clyde, what can the three of us do against him? He's fast with that gun, and, I mean, I don't want to go to jail for killing him."

"There'll come a time, there'll come a time when we can do something about that Injun lover Adam Cartwright." Clyde had no idea at the moment, but he was a patient man and assumed that at some point an idea would come to him of how they could get revenge on Adam Cartwright without going to jail.

The three men continued to drink their beers as they sat at a back table and watched Adam talking with his brothers and friends, drinking beer and acting like nothing terrible had happened. In fact, it had been terrible for Adam, and this was his first trip to town since his ordeal. He hadn't yet conquered the nightmares, but they weren't as bad as when he first arrived home three months after being captured at the First Battle of Pyramid Lake. Numaga kept him alive because of his family's close relationship to Chief Winnemucca. But the old chief had died in that awful winter and everything Numaga tried to do to keep the peace didn't work. When the militia marched on his people, he fought. They captured Adam and tried to use him to barter a settlement, but it didn't work. The Army arrived almost three months to the day of the first battle, and the Paiute were decimated as the militia had been at the first battle. The war was over, but the problems and anger lingered.

Carefully so that Adam wouldn't notice, Hoss and Joe surveyed the room watching to be sure there would be no trouble. They knew Adam had suffered at the hands of the Paiute during his captivity. They saw the scars from the lashings around his wrists and ankles. They had seen poorly healed abrasions. Adam had a fair amount of bruising when he had finally been released in a last ditch effort by the Paiute to stop their own destruction. Some of the Paiute had taken their anger and frustration out on him before they let him go. He had spent weeks recuperating and gaining back some of the weight he had lost. The Paiute did not have enough food for themselves so had fed their captive meager meals that at times were only the scraps of a meal. In addition to being malnourished, he had been beaten at times, humiliated in his predicament, and exposed to the elements all the while expecting that he would likely die. Sometimes they had taunted him with what they would do to him. They told him about slicing his forehead skin and peeling his face off. They told him they would cut off his genitals and carve up his body. He had some horrible images from that first battle and its aftermath that supported their claims.

When he had been released, Ben had cried in his joy that his son was alive. However there were those in town who openly wondered how Adam could be alive when so many others had been killed and their bodies mutilated. Adam had returned with no apparent injuries. They thought that somehow he had collaborated with the enemy never giving any specific idea of how that could be true, but only citing that by being alive, he must have.

Adam had a fairly good idea what his brothers were doing by each of them standing at an elbow and never leaving his side. Candy leaned on the bar next to him and watched using the mirror. Using peripheral vision, Adam noticed Hoss and Joe doing the same. A little further down the bar, several ranch hands leaned on the bar with one elbow and kept watch as well. Adam had heard a few taunts as he rode into town. His father had mentioned that there were stories going around town, and he should do his best to ignore them.

It all might have ended very quietly that first night in town except Sam Clemens came into the saloon. He had seen the Cartwrights and friends coming into town and had hurried to finish the story he was writing to get over to the saloon. He not only wanted to tell Adam he was glad he had survived, he also wanted to find out as much about his captivity as he could. He had tried once at the Ponderosa but had been politely turned away by Ben who said Adam needed time to recover from his ordeal. As Sam entered the saloon, he saw the wary looks of Adam's brothers and friends. He also noted how thin Adam was even though he had been presumably eating well for the past few weeks since his return home. He had dark circles under his eyes yet indicating he was likely still not recovered from the exhaustion of his ordeal.

"Adam Cartwright, the hero of the Paiute War, it's been rather difficult to get to talk with you. As you are in town, I was wondering if you had time to answer a few questions."

"He ain't no hero, and I got a few questions for him right now too. How'd you get out of there alive when all of our friends and neighbors got killed? What did you do, Injun lover, to save your own skin?"

"Now, Clyde, you just shut the hell up talking like that. Adam suffered plenty out there and he don't need no stupid remarks like that from you."

"So, he's just a coward then letting you speak for him and protect him?"

As Adam moved to push away from the bar and confront the loudmouth Clyde, Joe put a hand on his right arm. "No trouble tonight, please. Pa was very worried about us coming to town. Let's just leave and let this one ride."

"Joe, would you walk away if a man called you out as a coward?"

"I'm sorry, Adam. I never meant to stir anything up like this."

"It's all right, Sam. This time it's not your fault. They've been waiting for an opening and would have found an excuse sooner or later to speak their mind." Turning to look at Clyde, Hoss and Joe saw that familiar icy look come over Adam's face. He stared at Clyde who started to look decidedly nervous. "Clyde, you want to back that up with something or just leave?"

"You know I ain't a match for you with a gun. It would be murder if you pushed me to fight you like that."

"Your choice then. You can leave or you can fight."

Nate and Paul grabbed their hats and stood. "C'mon Clyde. It ain't worth getting killed over." Clyde stood at Paul's suggestion although his knees felt like they might buckle.

"This ain't over, Cartwright. It ain't over. Someday, you're gonna pay for what you done." With that Clyde walked from the saloon with one more reason to hate Adam Cartwright. His friends followed him out as he headed to another one of the twenty-one saloons in the city that was at the peak of its prosperity.

Turning to Sam, Adam made an offer. "I'll buy you a beer, Sam, but I'm not interested in talking right now."

"I'll take you up on that, Adam, and thank you. Not right now, but does that mean there's an opportunity in the future to talk about what happened?"

"We'll see. For now, let's just relax and not worry about things we can't change."

So they talked about women, horses, and silver mines. They played a low stakes friendly game of poker. By about nine, it was clear that Adam was tired. Hoss suggested the two of them could ride home and get a good night's sleep. Adam smiled at that. He hadn't had a good night's sleep in months. It would be nice if it would happen, but he had doubts that it would. He did take Hoss up on his offer though, as Joe and the others stayed another hour or so. Hoss had a few questions as they rode.

"You wouldn't have shot Clyde, wouldja?"

"If he wanted to force the issue, yes. I was thinking he had too much to drink, and he was angry but not stupid. His friends weren't going to back him up either."

"But how would that have made things any better in town for you?"

"I wouldn't have, but it wouldn't have made it worse either. But if I was taunted and insulted like that and did nothing, then more people might begin wondering about me and what kind of man I am."

"Adam, there's always going to be people like that. You can't fight all of them."

In his usual manner of making it seem a bit funny because he smiled that crooked little smile, he answered. "I can try." But Hoss knew he meant it. He would fight if he got pushed. He had seen Adam face a professional gunfighter, Poole, when he got his back up. Hoss just hoped that things calmed down a bit before it came to gunplay.

People would have to get on with their lives and get ready for winter. In the long run, the whites had fared far better than the Paiute who had suffered starvation in the previous winter and then suffered devastating losses at the Second Battle of Pyramid Lake. The next winter could be even tougher on them because the problems that had caused the war were still there. There were murders that had occurred on both sides, but the worst might have been the cutting down of the pinyon pine trees, fencing off the best pastures, and denying the Paiute access to water. The only places they could live without harassment was in the desert and in the higher elevations. In both environments though, there wasn't enough food, and in the desert, the water holes sometimes dried up. In the mountains, the snows could get so deep that no one could hunt and it was difficult to stay warm. In either locale, the Paiute were likely to suffer more.

For Adam, gradually the suffering diminished as the nightmares went away. Adam got stronger, and got back to his routine on the ranch. No one would have been able to tell that he had suffered through captivity because he did what he always did. He buried the hurt and the pain deep inside, and when he had bad dreams, he sat quietly in his room and stared out at the stars or the clouds depending on the weather. He told everyone he was fine, and for the most part he was. Several years later, he was held captive again, but that time it was in the desert by Kane. His recovery from that shorter captivity took longer, but eventually he did what he had done the first time. Then he met the feisty Annie and all the good memories they made seemed to bury the bad experiences so deep that they could not emerge again. Except they did emerge in nightmares again, and the unlikely catalyst was a baby's cry in the night.

Chapter 2

"Adam, wake up, you're scaring the baby. Adam!"

Thrashing and moaning, Adam slowly awakened. He was tired a lot lately with all the interruptions of his sleep and trying to work a normal day too. Annie took naps during the day frequently after nursing their son, but Adam didn't have that opportunity. For some reason, the baby's crying at night was triggering nightmares for him.

"I'm sorry to wake you because I know how tired you were, but you were scaring the baby and I didn't think you were getting much rest anyway. Another nightmare?"

"It was just a bad dream."

"You can call it what you will, but these have been happening almost every night since the baby was born. Michele asked me about it. She must be a lighter sleeper than Papa, and she's been hearing you too."

"What did you tell her?"

"There wasn't much I could tell her. You haven't told me much about them either." As Andrew suckled at her breast, Annie looked at her exhausted husband. "Adam, something has to change. You're exhausted all the time, and men who are that tired make mistakes. I don't want you getting hurt. Can you tell me what your bad dreams are about? You did promise me truth. It's time to talk."

"I don't want to give you the terrible memories I have."

"I pledged for better and for worse, in sickness and in health. I meant those words when I said them."

"I'm not sick."

"No, but there is something wrong, and I promised to be with you through the tough parts too. Now tell me."

Closing his eyes, Adam told her in a soft voice. "I dream a lot about the First Battle of Pyramid Lake. I remember seeing so many dead people. I knew many of them. There were one hundred and five casualties that day with seventy-six killed and twenty-nine wounded. I was lucky not to be one of them."

"Is that when you were taken by the Paiute and held for a few days?"

"Three months. It was three months before I was freed."

Shocked, Annie sat there and tried to process the story. "But when your father tells the story, it seems like it was only a few days or a week."

"Yes, I know he makes it sound that way. He probably has as much trouble with that memory as I do. Every day for three months, I thought they would kill me. Mogoannoga told me they would. Numaga argued with him a number of times to save my life. Finally with the Army units approaching, they made a last ditch good faith effort to try to stop the attack. It didn't work, but I was free."

"Do you have any idea why Andrew crying make you remember?"

"The only thing that I remember like that is that babies cried a lot in that camp that summer. There wasn't enough food, and the mothers didn't have enough milk for their babies. Babies would cry and cry, and when they stopped crying, you knew they were dying. They would get quiet and be still, and then within a day or so, you would hear a mother's grief stricken sobbing as she mourned her dead baby. One carried hers around with her for most of a day and refused to let anyone take the baby away from her. Finally they did, and did whatever they did with the bodies."

"So you didn't get enough food either?"

"No one did, but they certainly weren't concerned about me. I slept tied to a post in the middle of camp at night. It would get so cold, I would wake up shivering and pray for dawn to come so I could be warmed up by the sun."

"That must have been horrible for you. Have you ever told your father and brothers about this because when they talk about it, they don't make it seem that bad?"

"They knew some of what happened just because of the condition I was in by the time I got back. But I never talked with them about it much. I was having these nightmares then, and I just wanted to forget all of it."

"You never did forget those things though. You just buried them alive, and now they've come back to haunt you."

"I'll be fine."

"Maybe, but you need to face those memories, I think. Trust me enough to tell me, please. But right now, Shep needs to go outside. Then maybe we can all try to get back to sleep."

Taking Shep outside which was a fairly normal occurrence helped soothe Adam, and he found that rather amusing. He stood and watched Shep do his thing as he thought that they had an unusual dog because he seldom barked. It was probably one of the reasons his father had tolerated him indoors this long. He was also a very calm dog who liked to lay in front of the fireplace when indoors. He did like to run so when Adam went out to work, Shep often came along now that he wasn't a puppy anymore and could keep up. In their room at night, Shep lay near the small stove in the corner, Andrew slept in a cradle on the side of the bed next to Annie, and of course Adam and Annie were together. At first, Adam thought it would be weird to make love with his wife with the dog and the baby in the room, but found that if Andrew was asleep and Shep ignored them, it wasn't a problem. Of course they weren't making love very often. The baby was still very small and Annie was still healing from the labor. When Adam got back upstairs, he expected Annie to be asleep, but she wasn't. Instead, she had shed her gown, combed her hair, and was resting propped up by pillows waiting for him. He smiled when he saw her like that and dropped his clothing as fast as he could. Without turning down the lamp, he slid in bed beside her and began kissing. Soon they were making love gently but passionately as Shep curled by the fireplace. When they finished and lay in each other's embrace, Adam had a question.

"If Michele hears me when I have bad dreams, do you suppose she hears us when we make love?"

"Maybe, but they're probably making their own noise most of the time. They're still newlyweds."

"I still find it kind of strange to think of my father with a wife. I know he had three, but it's been so long, I can't hardly remember him acting like a husband. When I see him do those romantic things, it seems odd."

"It's even more odd when I see Hoss with Marsha. He is so in love with her." As usual, when Marsha's name was brought up or when Marsha was with the family, Adam stopped talking. Annie wanted to know why. "You did it again. I said Marsha, and you stop talking. What's wrong? She's not an old girlfriend, is she?" Annie had asked the question in a joking way, but even in the dim lamplight in the room, she could see Adam's pained expression. "When? Where?"

"It was well before I met you, so don't worry about that. It was in Sacramento on buying trips. We would have dinner, go to the theatre, and then have, ah, private time afterwards. There was no emotional relationship. It was just two people together on occasion. I was shocked when Hoss came back from that buying trip just after Andrew was born and announced he had met her. At that time, I didn't think anything would develop because I never saw her taking an interest in a man like Hoss."

"What's wrong with Hoss?"

"Nothing at all, it's just that she tended toward a different kind of man. I know I wasn't the only one. Now she's here engaged to Hoss, and I have no idea what I should do."

"It has been quick, but this is the first time you've said anything about that. I did think she seemed to be flirting with you sometimes, but then I thought she was just teasing. But she wasn't, was she? Could she be here after you?"

"That doesn't seem likely. She knows I'm married. I just don't have any idea what she has planned, but it has to be something."

"Maybe she fell in love with Hoss and decided to change her ways?"

"That's my quandary and why I didn't want to say anything to anyone. If she has changed, then my revelations could only cause harm."

"But if she hasn't changed, then keeping it secret could set Hoss up for a big letdown. Well now I kind of wish you hadn't told me. No wonder you have trouble sleeping worrying about Hoss and having those memories too."

"Maybe we can talk tomorrow evening? It will give you time to think about it and perhaps come up with an idea."

"Perhaps?"

"I don't want to transfer the pressure to you. Just think about it so you can give me advice."

"Thank you."

"Why are you thanking me?"

"Because every time you open up to me like this, I know how much you love me. Letting me know what you're thinking is so intimate. I never feel closer to you than at moments like this."

"Annie, I do love you. Sunday, Hoss has invited Marsha to dinner again. He may be ready to make an announcement, so we need to talk this through before then."

Leaning toward Annie, Adam kissed her softly before reclining and closing his eyes. There were no more bad dreams that night. In the morning, Adam went down to breakfast alone announcing that his son was hungry, and as usual, Annie would be delayed. She often spent the morning rocking Andrew as well before she dressed and made her way downstairs. Hop Sing would bring up tea and biscuits for her. Then later she and Michele would do some sewing and such before having lunch together. Every day except Sunday was usually like that. This was no different except Annie tried to find out what Michele thought about Marsha.

"Adam said Hoss invited Marsha to dinner again tomorrow. He sure has been seeing a lot of her since she came to Virginia City."

"Yes, he certainly seems like he's falling in love with her. I do wonder what she is doing in town though. She always talks rather vaguely about why she's here."

"Michele, maybe that's because she followed Hoss here from Sacramento. Maybe he made a huge impression on her. Maybe she feels as strongly as he does about her."

"Annie, I just get a funny feeling about her sometimes. Ben says I'm being too suspicious. He says that is too much like Adam because he says he saw how Adam looked at her when they met, and he's afraid Adam is going to do something to mess up the relationship between Hoss and Marsha. He said he's done it before."

"But he would only do something like that if it was to protect Hoss."

"Does Adam talk much about what happened with Helen and then with Regan?"

"No, not much. Both of those subjects seem to make him uneasy, and it's in the past before I knew him, so I try not to think about things like that too much."

"Does it bother you to know that Adam was with other women before you?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"Yes, but Ben married the ladies. I think that puts it in a different category. It seems from what I've heard that Adam bedded anyone who caught his eye and was willing."

"I'm not very comfortable talking about this, Michele. I know Adam had a past with women, and I had a marriage too, but that was before we knew each other. I prefer to deal with what I know about him and what he's doing now."

"I understand that. Ben has so much history that I'll never be part of that it's just easier to deal with what's going on now. So back to Marsha, what do you think about her?"

"I don't know. Mostly I have questions and I wonder."

Soon they were talking about the dress shop and other immediate concerns until Andrew awakened from his nap and needed to eat again.

Chapter 3

On Sunday, Ben was a most gracious host to Marsha. Hoss sat on the settee next to her just beaming, and at the table, Marsha sat next to him and held his hand for much of the time. Having a difficult time accepting how lucky he was, Hoss could only smile these days it seemed. Adam watched Marsha and occasionally exchanged glances with Annie. Ben noticed and wondered what was going on. What he didn't notice was Michele watching Marsha as well. She was seated to Ben's right so she could look without seeming to be. As expected, Hoss had an announcement.

"If everybody could listen up for a minute, me and Marsha got something to say. Now some of you know I asked her to marry me and she said yes." Adam and Annie knew so they weren't as surprised as the others. What Adam dreaded though was what came next because he had hoped to have time to sort out what was going on and knew he wouldn't likely be able to do that before the wedding. "We decided that there's no reason to wait. We want to get married at the end of this month. Now I know it's only three weeks away, but we just couldn't think of a reason to wait any longer."

There were congratulations all around and Hoss couldn't stop smiling. Adam did all the perfunctory congratulations and got a kiss from the prospective bride. She was reasonably chaste with the kiss, but as she released him, her hand brushed across his groin area. It could have been an accident, and her facial expression did not change, but Adam still suspected ulterior motives and that touch kicked his suspicions higher.

Unknown to Adam, Michele had seen as well what had happened noting Adam's surprise and the coolness of Marsha as if she hadn't noticed where her hand had been. Michele noted that her previous suspicion that the teasing by Marsha was really flirting was likely to be right on the mark. She didn't know what to do but knew that at least Annie and Adam were talking about it. That unfettered honesty between the two of them would be tested by this, but the trust they had in each other seemed unbreakable. Michele only could hope that it was.

It seemed that things could not go any better except when Hoss left to give Marsha a ride to town, and Ben asked to speak with Adam. Adam had heard that tone of voice before and knew his father was upset. He walked outside with him as Joe caught his eye and signaled good luck. Joe knew that tone of voice from their father too. He was upset about something.

"You didn't seem too pleased with Hoss' announcement."

"I offered my congratulations to both of them. What else was I supposed to do?"

"You know what I mean. Your attitude was clear to everyone. You don't like it that Hoss has asked Marsha to marry him."

"My attitude? There was nothing wrong with my attitude. I was polite, congratulatory, and considerate. My attitude was above reproach."

"Your attitude is seldom above reproach. You adopt that arrogant smirk that is so irritating."

"No, it's this conversation that is irritating. I suppose you have other complaints because that doesn't seem to be enough to call me out here for a dressing down."

"Yes, you have been shirking your duties on the ranch letting your brothers do all the more difficult jobs."

"Hoss wanted to take those buying trips in my place, and do I need to remind you that Annie had a baby a short time ago, and I had a duty to be here and support her. As far as other work, yes, I have taken on work closer to home and let Joe do more of the work that requires being out for a few days at a time, but again, it's only been for a short time. I certainly have done my share around her and no one, not even you, should ever accuse me of shirking."

"I should have known you wouldn't accept anything I had to say. I suppose all that flirting with Marsha is all innocent too? You have made it quite clear how much you are attracted to her."

"I have not been flirting with Marsha. She's been flirting with me."

"That's the line you always use, isn't it? It wasn't me, it was her. She kissed me. She came after me. How often do you think you can use that and have us believe it?"

"Every time because it's true. I have been trying to distance myself from Marsha, but she's not getting the message. Other than shoving her away from me, what would you have me do?" Realizing that he was shouting and it was likely everyone inside could hear him, Adam took some deep breaths and slowly blew them out trying to calm himself. He never could completely understand how his father could cause him to lose his cool so easily. Many others tried to do that and failed. There was something volatile in their relationship, and it seemed it had always been that way. He could tell his father was still very upset, but he resolved that he would remain calm and get to the bottom of this. He saw the signs of his father's inner turmoil: the eyebrows arched, the occasional pursing of the lips, and the eyes looking down fairly often. His father would never make a good poker player for he had too many tells. "Pa, what's really bothering you?"

Ben heard the conciliatory tone of that inquiry, and worked to calm himself as well. He had already said things he didn't mean angering his son and doing nothing to resolve the uncertainties he had about Marsha. Not yet ready to answer Adam's query honestly, Ben countered with a question. "Adam, what do you know about Marsha? How well do you know her?"

Puffing up his cheeks and expelling the air forcefully, Adam knew he had to answer that one no matter how much he didn't want to do that. "Pa, I didn't want to have to say anything about this. If I'm wrong in my assessment of the situation, then Hoss could be hurt very badly by what I'm going to tell you. I was with Marsha on more than one occasion in Sacramento."

"You and she were together? You mean as more than friends?"

"Yes, there was much more. There was no long term commitment. It was just for the moment, and she was a very willing participant."

"Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"She may have changed her ways. She may actually be in love with Hoss. I can't say something when I don't know if those things are true or not."

"Hoss would be devastated to know you bedded the woman he intends to marry."

"And now you know why I haven't said anything about knowing her. Pa, I don't know if that flirting she does is to tease me or provoke me. I don't know if she's playing a game or just innocently doing what a, shall we say experienced, woman would do."

"An innocent woman wouldn't do what happened in there tonight."

Hanging his head, Adam sighed. "You saw her touch me then when I gave her a congratulatory kiss? Pa, I don't know if that was an accident or not. She acted as if nothing had happened so perhaps she was unaware of exactly what her hand touched."

"Adam, no woman is that unaware, especially a woman who has been to bed with a man."

"So now we're getting to what really has you upset? And I know it was more than one man. I wasn't the only one to enjoy her charms."

"Yes, I rather guessed that, and I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I never meant to say you were shirking your responsibilities. What I should have said is now that Andrew is obviously healthy and Annie is recovered from the delivery, perhaps you should take on a few of the more odious jobs around here."

"I'll do the restocking of the line shacks this week. Is that what you wanted?"

"Thank you. That is very gracious of you. Now what will Annie think about you being gone for the next few days?"

"She'll probably sleep better without me waking her up. She'll be fine with it, I'm sure."

"What do you think she'll say if she saw what Marsha did tonight? She must be upset already with all the flirting that's going on."

"Pa, she knows all about it. We've already talked about it. She's as worried as we are that Marsha may not be what she claims to be. She may not be in love with Hoss. If that's the case, Marsha's going to hurt him very badly. You should talk with Michele about it. She and Annie have already had one discussion about it."

"How do you know that?" The raised eyebrow and the little crooked smile let Ben know. Adam and Annie seemed able to talk about anything.

"Michele has dealt with duplicity. She may be better than anyone at knowing what might be going on here. I want to believe that Marsha has changed and wants Hoss as much as he wants her."

"But?"

"The Marsha I knew was always working an angle to get exactly what she wanted."

"But what could she want? You're married, and only a very foolish woman would want to go up against Annie. Marsha does not seem at all foolish."

"No, but she is very clever. We'll just have to keep watching, and hope that our suspicions are groundless."

"Adam, on another topic, Michele says she has heard you at night having nightmares. What's wrong?"

Expelling another big puff of air, Adam didn't want to broach this subject either knowing his father had never really come to terms with everything that had happened either. "Pa, it's the Paiute War. The memories have come back to haunt me a bit."

"But why now? That was years ago."

"It's Andrew. When he cries at night, it reminds me of that camp and the babies crying from hunger. Then I remember everything else I saw and experienced."

"Yes, I remember those days so well too. Seeing all those men killed. Burying seventy-six men and some of them horribly mutilated. Then worrying every day about you until you came home. It was a nightmare then."

"I've talked some with Annie about it. She'll help me through it."

Ben shook his head again. This was hard to get used to. He had always been the one to soothe his sons, and now Adam had a wife who had taken on that responsibility. Annie with her no nonsense ways and direct approach was wonderful for Adam, but Ben missed the days when Adam was his son and not a woman's husband. Seeing his father's reaction, Adam put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's hard to accept how things have to change sometimes. But do you know how happy I am? Do you understand that I am where I wanted to be for so long in my life?"

"Yes, son, and I am very happy you found Annie. She is a treasure."

"Now, how about if you and I both go back in to our treasures, because they're probably tired of listening in at the window. We can just talk together at least until Hoss gets home."

Inside, someone must have been in too big a hurry and knocked something off the desk because Adam and Ben heard a loud thud and whispering. By the time they got inside, all three were sitting relaxed by the fireplace except Annie had a little grin she couldn't hide. Michele had a look that made Ben nervous because he had a feeling she wasn't happy with him. He was correct. Once they were upstairs in the privacy of their bedroom, she had a little chat with him.

Chapter 4

At breakfast, Ben looked like he had not slept well. When Adam sat down and sipped the coffee that Hop Sing had poured, he looked at his father with a small grin.

"Now I haven't been sleeping well, and I look just like that. Have a little trouble resting easy last night?"

"Well it seems that Michele thinks I took the easy way out, and that I owe you a much bigger apology than anything I said last night." Without saying a word, Adam communicated quite well. Ben knew he had to continue. "She told me that she had all she could do to hold your wife back from coming out on the porch and giving it to me with both barrels, perhaps literally. Then when you got me to back down, apparently Annie was quite proud of you." Adam smiled. He had heard Annie's version of that part already.

"The easy way out?"

"She said that I was hoping it was you who was encouraging Marsha, and that would make it easier because I could just lay it all on you and make you stop. She told me in no uncertain terms that I was acting like a horse's rear end, and that I ought to learn to treat my sons with more respect."

"Finding it a bit difficult to get used to living with a spirited woman?"

"You think this is all so funny, don't you?"

"Yes, I do remember a lot of teasing that I took because Annie wouldn't do what I wanted, and she frequently had her own ideas about what we should do. I don't remember you helping me out in those circumstances. Now did I forget something that you said or did to make things easier for me?"

"It's all your mother's fault. She was too darned smart, and she passed it all on to you."

Adam started laughing then and couldn't stop. Ben had to smile and finally laugh with him. Hoss came walking down the stairs then.

"What's all the laughing about so early?"

Ben smiled at his second son. "We've just been talking about our wives, and their tendency to have rather strong opinions. It definitely makes life, ah, interesting."

"Well, I can't wait until I can sit in on talk like that. Heck, in three weeks, I'm gonna have my own wife with her own opinions. Maybe you two can give me some advice when I get to that point?"

Noting how Adam smile got just a little tighter, Ben answered for them as cheerfully as he could knowing what he did. "Son, you can always come to us for advice. We will be happy to share our tales with you. Just don't expect us to have any ideas that might help."

Adam almost spit his coffee out at that point. Hop Sing brought food out for Adam but not for the other two. Ben wasn't surprised but Hoss was.

"Hey, Hop Sing, how about us?"

"You wait until breakfast is served. I have breakfast on table when everybody sit down."

"But why don't Adam have to wait?"

"Mister Adam leave soon. He need good breakfast."

Looking over at his brother eating a breakfast of ham, hotcakes, and baked apples, Hoss was salivating. "Where you going?"

"I'm doing the restocking of the line shacks. I'll be back in about four days I would think. I'll start with the northeast ones and work my way around to the west and then back home and do the closest one last. That way if I run out of supplies, it won't be a problem. I'll be gone for three nights, so if Annie needs help with Shep at night, could you do that?"

"Well, thank you. I thought I was gonna get stuck with the restocking too. Now I can spend some time in town getting arrangements for the wedding done. And yes, I will be happy to take care of Shep. What exactly does he need?"

"He can't make it through the night yet. Just let him outside for a few minutes. He'll come back in as soon as he's done, and then he'll go back to sleep."

"You sure trained that dog darn good."

"Not really. He just seems to behave himself and do what needs to be done. That is a very smart dog that Annie picked out. She said that when she first saw him. I scoffed a bit then, but she was right. That is a very smart dog."

"You should remember that every time you're thinking of arguing with me." Annie had brought Andrew downstairs because Adam was leaving. She wanted to spend as much time with him as she could before he left. Soon Michele and Joe were downstairs too so everyone was able to tell Adam goodbye and wish him good luck on his task. Annie handed off Andrew to Michele before she headed outside to kiss her husband goodbye.

"So Papa knows now too?"

"Yes, after his talking too from Michele, I would imagine he knows everything we know. Now the big question is what to do about that. We weren't able to come up with any strategy last night other than waiting to see if Marsha shows her hand one way or another."

"Hoss came back very late last night."

"I know. I heard him come in. I just wish there was some way to let him know so he could evaluate everything. Marsha gave me a look when they were leaving last night that has me wondering even more about her."

"Yes, you said she looked a bit frightened. Maybe it's because she's worried yet that you might say something."

"We have a lot of questions but no answers. I hope that over the next few days, one of us can come up with a plan." With that, Adam pulled Annie into a hug and kissed her soundly. "I'll miss you, but remember always that I love you."

"I know. I love you so much sometimes that it hurts just to think about you being away. I'm glad you gave me Andrew. He'll keep me busier so I have less time to miss you. I did pack the book you asked for and I left you a little something inside of it."

With a smile, Adam mounted up to ride out with a wave for Annie before he started his trek leading two pack horses. Annie walked back inside to see the whole family looking worried. She smiled. "I'll be fine. I have Andrew to keep me company."

Because he was planning to meet Marsha in town now that Adam had taken on the restocking trip, Hoss rushed through breakfast and still managed to eat as much as any two of them combined. Then he said his goodbyes and headed to town. As soon as he was there, he stopped at the boardinghouse where he had left Marsha the night before. She was surprised to see him.

"Adam left to restock the line shacks. He headed out to the northeast this morning, and it'll take him four days to work around to that last one. Sure am glad it's not me doing it. Instead I got all day with you to make arrangements for our wedding. I thought we could have lunch too. Now what do you say to that?"

"That sounds wonderful. You don't have to do any work at all today?"

"Pa wants me to hire a couple men for a few days to work on some brush clearing. That shouldn't take too long. Lots of men who don't like the mines are looking for work. I'll hire a few of them and then we can relax."

Hoss found Nate, Paul, and Clyde at the saloon exactly where he expected to find them. The three were always looking for work. They worked hard, but always seemed to cause trouble wherever they were so seldom kept a job for long. Because this job was only for the week, it wouldn't be a problem.

"Now your brother Adam don't like us none. You sure he ain't gonna fire us first time he sees us cause I cain't see taking the job just to lose it the same day."

"Nah, now Clyde, Adam left this morning to restock the line shacks and you ain't even got to come over to the ranch anyway. There's some brush that needs clearing in the gullies that lead down to the stream that's near the crossroads. In a rain, it's gonna wash down and probably dam up that water better than any beaver dam ever could. We don't want that valley flooded, and that bridge isn't very high either. The easiest thing to do is to clear the brush now while it's dry. So you boys up for it?"

"The usual pay, Hoss?"

"The usual, and a bonus if you finish it by Friday. We haven't had any rain in a while and you know that there's gonna be a gully washer one of these days. The sooner that job gets done, the better."

"What should we do with the brush we clear? It's kinda dry to be thinking of burning it."

"For now, just make some big piles away from the gullies. We'll take care of it later when things green up some."

The three men headed out to work, and Hoss and Marsha went to see the minister to make arrangements. Then they stopped at the jewelry shop to order a ring before they had lunch. Hoss asked her about a dress, and Marsha said she could arrange that herself.

"Well, we got ourselves half a day and nothing to do. How about a ride?"

"Sure, that sounds wonderful. Maybe you could show me what a line shack is. You talked about them like I would know what they are, but I don't. You're going to have to teach me all about ranch life because I don't know anything about it."

"I'm sorry. You ride so well I forget you're a city gal. Sure, I'll get you a horse at the livery, and we can ride to the closest line shack. You might be getting back a bit late but the days are getting longer now so it should be fine."

The ride to the closest line shack which wasn't used much meant stopping at some high points where the grandest vistas of the Ponderosa were. At one stop, Hoss dismounted and told Marsha they should give the horses a short break. He wrapped an arm around her waist as they stood admiring the view.

"Darling, I can't help feeling that you've got something on your mind. You seem kind of lost every now and then like your mind is a hundred miles away."

Taken aback a bit by how perceptive Hoss was, Marsha had to remind herself that her first impression of him had been almost all wrong. He was gentle and kind, but he had a sharp intelligence that probably too many had underestimated. She needed to be careful what she said around him or she could mess this up still more. "Hoss, I guess the thought of being married after all these years is rather daunting. I know you never want to hear about my past, but I'm afraid that I may not be the right woman for you after all I've done and seen."

"Darling, you're the right gal for me. Now Adam and Annie got some history too, but they done put it behind them and are only looking forward. That's what we oughta do too, don't ya think?"

"I do love you, Hoss. I want you to know that no matter what happens, I truly love you."

"Aw, darling, you're getting me a bit nervous now too. Don't be talking like something bad is gonna happen cause you might just put a hex on our wedding now. Let's enjoy the day and think about only good things."

Marsha nodded her head in agreement and smiled, but inside she was groaning and worrying. She wondered how she had ever made things so complicated. It wasn't supposed to have happened like this, and now she had ensnared this wonderful man in her mess. She needed help and only knew one person that she trusted enough to ask for that help. He wasn't going to be happy at all with her, but she was sure he would do everything in his power to help her make things right. She had to pray it would be enough.

Chapter 5

On Thursday, as Adam rode up to the last of the line shacks, he was surprised to see a horse tied up outside. It wasn't one of the Ponderosa horses so he had to wonder who it was. He tied off the leads for the pack horses and loosened his pistol in its holster. As he dismounted and walked toward the line shack, he put his hand on the handle of his pistol ready to draw and did just that when the door opened, but he could see no one.

"I won't bite, and I definitely won't shoot. Come on in. I made coffee while I waited."

Adam strode into the cabin with his temper rising. "Damn it all to hell, what are you doing here? Haven't you made enough of a mess of things without showing up here?"

"Well, I'm pleased to see you too."

Adam grabbed Marsha by the upper arm then and nearly hissed at her. "Get on your horse and get out of here. You've done enough already. You don't need to make things worse."

"You're not afraid that you're still attracted to me, are you?"

"Attracted to you? You have got to be kidding. You were an easy and very attractive lay, but I had no interest in you other than that, and now that thought disgusts me. I wouldn't bed you with a gun to my head."

Marsha dropped onto one of the chairs then forcing Adam to release her arm. "I'm sorry, but I had to know. I had to know if you had any desire for me, and it's very clear you don't."

"Then why are you here?"

"Because I came to Virginia City to use Hoss to get away from my life in Sacramento. He was just a stepping stone until I could find my way."

"I thought as much. So, again, why are you here?"

"Because I fell in love with him instead."

Letting those words hang in the air with no explanation, Marsha waited for Adam to react. She knew his mind was brilliant, but even he would need some time to process what she had just said.

"And you're in a lot of trouble from your life in Sacramento, and now you want me to help you with that." It was a statement, not a question.

"All those men you negotiate with regularly have no idea how smart you are. They blithely go about their business thinking that you are sweating out their offers, but you just manipulate them into the deal you want all the while making them think it's their idea. Well I need that kind of thinking right now, and I'm not capable of it."

"What have you done, or should I ask what you haven't done?"

"I haven't broken any laws or at least any that anyone would prosecute. I discovered I was with child a month ago."

"Is Hoss the father?"

"He could be. I'll only know when the baby is born."

"How will that help?"

"You know the type of man I favored: dark, in all regards, just like you. Hoss is all light. I hope the baby is his, but I couldn't tell you right now."

"When were you planning to tell Hoss?"

"At first, I wasn't going to tell him at all. I was only going to ask him for help to get away. Then I found to my amazement, that I cared for him more than I thought I could care for anyone else."

"So for the first time in your life, you're in love with someone other than yourself?"

"That's about it."

"Then tell him. Hoss loves you. He'll forgive you anything."

"Well, there is more to it. I brought more trouble with me."

Sighing deeply, Adam waited.

"Logan Manning has a lot of money and keeps a lot of it at his house. He moves money in valises to and from his house all the time. When I decided to leave, I packed my bags and took one of the valises with me. I had taken it the night before when he, ah, entertained me at his home. After he fell asleep, I dressed and grabbed the smallest one. I thought I would use the money to get away. I thought I could ask Hoss for help. But the first day I saw him, he asked me out to the ranch for dinner. That night he kissed me, and I realized then that I had feelings for him. I should have left immediately because every day I'm here, I love him more. I didn't know what to do especially after he asked me to marry him. I brought the money here with me. It's in these saddlebags. You can keep it just to show you that I have no intention of following through on my original plan."

Taking the saddlebags, Adam looked inside because he didn't trust her. "You say you love Hoss, and yet you have put him in the crosshairs of one of the most dangerous men in the west. Manning is involved in every kind of criminal activity there is. He never goes to prison because witnesses never live until the trial so no one will bring evidence against him any more. You did that to my brother and never told him!" As Adam had talked, his temper had risen. If Marsha had been a man, he might have pummeled him right then and there before loading him on a stage and sending him back into his own mess. But Marsha wasn't a man, and she was the woman Hoss loved and might be carrying Hoss' child. "Damn you, Marsha, this is a maelstrom."

"I don't know what that is, but I'm assuming it's something awful."

"It is and you are. Why come to me? Why not go to the law?"

"Do you really think that the sheriff of a little town like Virginia City is ready to take on the Manning organization?"

"You might be surprised at how much Roy can handle. But you're right in that it's too much for him alone. We'll have to bring in the U.S. Marshals too and hopefully the state governments will cooperate too."

"Adam, how can we do that? I think I saw one of Manning's men in town on Monday. I'm sure he's already moving against me. You know that sending the money back won't solve this. He'll want to make an example of me. He'll want to use me to teach the others a lesson."

Dropping onto the other chair at the table then, Adam lowered his head into his hands and sighed deeply thinking about this mess. "Didn't you say something about some coffee?"

After dinner, Adam knew that there was one place that Marsha needed to be, and it wasn't in Virginia City. "You need to come back with me to the Ponderosa. You can't stay at the main house because it would be too obvious, but we have a lot of line shacks just like this one. We'll get you to one of them, and have someone stay there to protect you."

"Why not the main house?"

"First of all, because my wife and son are there, and I wouldn't out them in jeopardy like that. Secondly, that's the first place they'll look. We have a lot of men working on the ranch, and someone will be bound to see you no matter how carefully I bring you in."

"Should I go back to town tonight?"

Adam leaned forward with his elbows on the table dropping his head and massaging his neck. "No, it's not safe for you to go back. And it's too late to go to the ranch house tonight. We'll start at first light tomorrow morning. We should be at the ranch by about ten. We'll have to tell Hoss everything, and then get you to one of the line shacks as quickly as we can."

"Thank you. I know that I asked too much of you, but you were the only one I thought I could trust to help me."

"I have to take care of the horses. The only food here is basic stuff but it will have to do. Do you know how to make beans?" At her nod, Adam pointed out the necessary materials. "I'll bring a bucket of water and some bacon. You can fix us dinner while I take care of the horses." An hour later, Adam brought in two saddles, and a bedroll. He threw the bedroll down by the stove with a saddle. Then he went out and grabbed the bags of provisions for restocking the line shack. Soon he had filled all containers and packed away everything else in the storage bins. Marsha was ready to serve dinner so he sat at the table.

"I'm sorry to take your bed tonight. But at least tomorrow you'll be home in your own bed."

"You're not kicking me out of the bed." Marsha looked up in surprise. "You get the bed roll. I'm not sleeping on the floor."

"Are you at least going to clean up before you go to sleep?"

"No. I haven't had a chance to wash in four days and my clothes smell just as bad as I do. It wouldn't do any good to wash and then dress in filthy clothing. I'll wash, shave, and put on clean clothing when I get home."

"You can grow that much beard in four days?"

Adam ate and didn't answer. He was hungry, tired, and now worried. He didn't think anything he said to her would be pleasant so he said nothing. After dinner, he cleaned up the dishes quietly and then laid down on the single bunk. When Marsha realized he wasn't going to talk any more, she cleaned up her dishes, went outside to do her business, and then came in to sleep on the bedroll. During the night, she heard Adam moaning in his sleep but refrained from going to him. She knew the sounds of a nightmare but didn't think he would appreciate any comfort she might offer. In the morning, Adam got the horses ready and packed up with hardly a word. There was no more conversation other than telling Marsha what she needed to do. On the four hour ride to the Ponderosa ranch house, Adam maintained the same demeanor until Marsha had enough.

"If you're mad at me, fine! But tell me what you're thinking. What are we going to do? What do I say to Hoss when I see him? He's going to be wondering seeing me ride in with you."

"You're staying back in the grove behind the house. The less who see you, the better. After I tell my family what's going on, and try to restrain those who would like to go out there and strangle you, someone will come for you and bring you in the back. Then it will be a matter of getting you someplace safe."

"This isn't going to be easy, is it?"

"Damn you, this is going to be terrible, but it has to be done. Now I would like to try to get my thoughts in order so I can try to explain all of this so everyone can try to stay cool."

That was the plan, but it didn't work at all like any of the scenarios that Adam imagined. He left Marsha in the grove of trees and rode to the house with the two pack horses. As he arrived in the yard, he saw Roy standing and speaking with his family. He stopped at the stable, dismounted, and tied the horses to the corral fence before walking to the house. He had four days growth of beard and smelled terrible, but Annie rushed into his arms anyway. He saw tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong? Andrew is all right, isn't he?"

Roy stepped toward Adam. "Adam, I'm real sorry about this, but I gotta ask ya where ya been."

"I'm sure my family has told you. I was restocking the line shacks for the last four days."

"Where was ya last night?"

"At the line shack that's southeast of here."

"I need to ask you to look in your saddlebags."

"Roy, I need to talk to you about what's in those." Adam handed his saddlebags to Roy who opened one side to find it stuffed with money.

"Adam, I gotta place you under arrest. You're gonna have to come to town with me and face charges."

"Charges? Charges for what?"

"I'm afraid I got four witnesses that say you was the one who robbed the stage late yesterday. Killed the driver too. Now I know that can't be true, but you got the money, and you were in that vicinity. Is there anyone who can testify that you was actually at that line shack all evening?"

Ben and Annie noted the hesitation in Adam and then the evasive answer. He wouldn't lie so it made them wonder why he answered the way he did. They saw him glance at Hoss too before he responded. "Roy, restocking the line shacks is a one man job."

"Then you gotta come with me until we can get this all sorted out."

"Can I talk with my father and with Annie before we go?"

"Of course, but don't take too long. You can get a change of clothes and anything else you think you'll need, but leave that pistol home."

Hoss and Joe stood in shock as Adam walked to the house with his father and Annie.

Chapter 6

"Adam Cartwright, don't you dare. Don't you dare question my trust in you and think for one moment that I would believe these ridiculous accusations. You say anything like that just one more time, and you may find my boot buried in your behind."

As Adam had taken his gunbelt off in the house, he had turned to Annie to start trying to explain that he was innocent. She was angry that he thought he needed to tell her that. He grabbed her in a hug and held her tight. Michele was sitting in a chair holding Andrew who had fallen asleep. She wondered what was going on and knew it had to be serious by the way everyone looked. His father headed to the stairs.

"I'll get you some clean clothing to wear."

Adam told Annie to come in the washroom with him. He peeled off his dirty shirt as he was walking and tried to think of how to start this. Annie helped.

"First you can tell me who you were with yesterday. I heard how you answered Roy's question."

With a deep sigh and blowing his breath out forcefully, Adam decided the only way to do this was to start with all the most shocking information first. "Marsha showed up at the line shack. She was there when I got there. I guess Hoss mentioned what I was doing and she figured it out. She needs our help. She's with child, and it may be Hoss'."

Annie was speechless for only a moment. "Who else could be the father?"

"Logan Manning could be, and she stole money from him before she came here. That's the money that was in my saddlebags."

"Does that have anything to do with the stage robbery and murder?"

"It could, but I have no idea how."

"Where is she now?"

"In the grove of trees out back. Someone needs to go get her after I leave. I want someone to come with me to town. Hoss is the most likely candidate. He can't be with Marsha because that's what they'll be expecting, and on the ride in, I can tell him what I told you. He won't be able to kill me because Roy will be there."

"If you tell him what you told me, why would he want to kill you?"

"He will have to wonder why she came to me for help, and when he starts asking those questions, I can't lie to him."

"Roy's going to hear everything too."

"He needs to hear everything. We're going to need some help with this one. Tell Pa and Joe everything after I leave. Joe can go get Marsha and sneak her in the house. Don't let anyone but family see her. Tomorrow he should take her up to one of the line shacks and stay with her. Maybe Candy could go with him. They might need more help than that eventually, but for a couple of days, it ought to be enough."

Rinsing off the soap, Adam was toweling dry when Ben brought him some clean clothing. "Is everything all right between the two of you?"

"We're fine. Annie has quite a story to tell you though. I may have forgotten some parts, but she knows the main points. Joe and Michele should hear it too. And you're going to want to set up a perimeter guard around the house by tonight."

As Adam rode with Hoss and Roy to town, he watched Hoss especially trying to gauge the mood he was in. Adam guessed that Roy would listen to everything and evaluate what he heard, but Hoss could sometimes react very emotionally to some things, and the type of things Adam had to say were the kind of things likely to make Hoss see red.

"Hoss, there are a lot of things I need to tell you, and I want you to hear me out even if you get upset at some of the things I'm going to tell you."

"Does it have to do with these charges?"

"No, I have no idea what these charges are about. I'll deal with them later. No this concerns you and Marsha."

"You've seen her? Because I went to town last night to see her, and she wasn't there. I waited until late and she didn't come back." Looking suspiciously at Adam, Hoss had a challenge question. "Was she with you cause I seen how the two of you look at each other sometimes and you're always trying to get up close to her? I figured it was more than teasing."

"Hoss, I never tried to get close to her, but yes, she was with me and nothing happened. She came to me for help."

Suddenly Roy was more interested. "You have an alibi! Why didn't you say so back at the ranch?"

"She can't come forward right now. She's in danger. I'm hoping your eyewitnesses will take one look at me and realize I wasn't robbing any stage or shooting any driver."

"Adam, the witnesses agin you are a female passenger and three men who was working on the Ponderosa at the time. They said they heard some shooting and rode to investigate. They said they saw you and a woman riding sidesaddle riding away. Now I've seen this Marsha riding with Hoss and she don't ride side saddle. You know any women who ride sidesaddle?"

"Roy, of course I do. We all do, but I don't know of any of them who would rob a stage and shoot anyone. Who are these three men?"

"You know em. Nate Duggan, Clyde Darrow, and Paul Martin. They've worked for most of the ranches hereabout for years on and off."

Hoss had to react to that statement. "Roy, you know those men hate Adam. They still blame him for that fighting over at Pyramid Lake where all those men got killed but he got taken prisoner. They still don't accept that Adam was a hostage."

"Hoss, that don't change the fact that all three of them and the lady passenger signed sworn statements that it was Adam what done it."

"Who is this passenger, Roy, and how does she know me?"

"Well she don't know ya, but I had that drawing of you that was in the Territorial Enterprise, and she said it was you. Course, you didn't have a beard in that drawing. Now I wonder why none of em mentioned that you have a beard."

"Because I wasn't there! Damn it, Roy, there's some serious stuff happening with my family, and I can't waste time on this when I should be dealing with that."

"Now you want to tell Hoss and me the rest of the story you started telling before. And you might explain why you had a saddlebag full of money while you're at it."

So Adam explained the trouble that Marsha was in, where the money came from, and why she needed to hide out. He didn't mention the baby or his past with Marsha. Roy seemed satisfied when he finished telling his tale.

"So, the two of ya was at that line shack from late in the afternoon yesterday until you rode for home today?" At Adam's nod, he continued. "I need to talk to my witnesses. I want that lady to come take a look at you. Not even you can grow that much beard in one day, so I want her to look at you and tell me that you're not the man she saw."

"What about the other three?"

""Well, now, I have no doubt they're in the saloon by now. I'll just mosey on over and ask them to describe your clothing and anything else they noticed. I may have to be more specific in my questions, but I sincerely doubt they're gonna say you've got a beard. I think maybe they's thinking they got an opportunity to get even with you for what they think you done wrong all those years ago."

"What will you do then?"

"Adam, if they signed sworn statements that was a lie, I won't have no choice but to arrest them. It would be up to a judge to decide what to do with em. In fact, I been thinking. I'll take the saddlebags in and have that money counted. If the amount is different than what was in the strongbox, then that will help your case too. Meanwhile I can go talk to the three jaspers and see what they got to say. Finally, after about an hour, you and Hoss cold ride in. I'll have to lock you up until this is cleared up, but then I can have that lady come over to identify you. Ifn she says it ain't you, if the money don't add up, and them three is lying, then that would be enough to let you go."

With a deep sigh, Adam shook his head. "All right, Roy. Let's do it your way. But could you work as fast as possible. There's a lot going on at home, and I'd like to be there."

Outside of town, Hoss and Adam pulled up and wished Roy good luck in his tasks. Then both dismounted and sat in the shade of a tree. Adam knew Hoss would have questions, but the first one took him by surprise.

"Have you been in bed with Marsha?"

Not wanting to get so confrontational especially with the rest of the news he had to deliver, Adam tried to deflect that part of the conversation. "We knew each other a long time ago."

"Now there ya go with not answering my questions. How can I trust you if you won't tell me the truth."

"Yes, then, if you have to know."

"Did you bed her last night?"

Highly offended by the question, Adam looked at his brother and frowned. "If that's how this is going to go, then I'm going to be getting pretty angry. I did not sleep with her. We slept in the same building. That's all. Now don't ever suggest that I would be unfaithful to Annie again or you're going to do damage to our relationship that might not be able to be fixed."

"I'm not sorry about asking that question. I think I have a right to know. And what I want to know is why Marsha came to you and not to me. She shoulda come to me."

"Yes, she probably should have, and I told her that. But, Hoss, she's scared and she has a right to be. She also has some news for you that she thinks might mean you don't want to be with her any more."

"Ifn you didn't sleep with her last night, then there's nothing that would change my mind about her."

"What about if she's having a baby, and she doesn't know if you're the father or if it's Logan Manning."

Shock might have been a mild description of what hit Hoss at that moment. He was surprised, worried, concerned, angry, afraid, and a few other things all at the same time. Adam watched and waited for his brother to process all of the information that he had been given. It was a lot to handle especially because he had recently been so happy and thinking he had a simple straightforward relationship with Marsha.

"What about the money? Why did she take the money?"

"She stole the money from Manning to get away. He's going to want to punish her for that."

"And you asked me to come with you? I should be back there with her protecting her especially as she's carrying a baby that might be mine, and if I marry her, it will be mine."

"Annie and Pa know everything, and by now they've told everything to Joe and to Michele. Marsha should be with them and I told Pa to set a perimeter guard. Hoss, you can't be with her. They'll track her through you. I suggested that Joe and Candy take her to one of the line shacks. They could move a few times too. That way it would be very difficult for anyone to find her."

"What about Manning? Will she have to run like that for the rest of her life?"

That thought frustrated Adam. He liked to run his life with planning, and this situation had him without an idea of how to proceed. "I don't know what to do about Manning. I wish I had a plan but I don't. Of course I just found out about all of this last night, and now I have to deal with these charges too."

"That shouldn't be a problem with what Roy already knows. He might have this cleared up by the time we get to town."

"How do you feel about Marsha being with child and not knowing who the father is?"

"I don't know. Did she know she was gonna have a baby when she came here?"

"Yes. It's why she ran from Manning. Hoss, she intended just to ask you for help in getting away. She never intended that the two of you would fall in love. I think she might truly love you. She could have taken that money and left, and she would have been safer if she did. But she stayed even though she saw a man in town that she thinks is working for Manning."

"And she didn't tell me that either."

"Hoss, I told her that if she loved you, she needed to learn to trust you. Marsha has not had much experience in either category. You were the first person in her life to bring those things out in her, but she still doesn't know how to handle either one of them very well."

"It's hard to trust someone that much when you never knew them before, isn't it?"

"You asking for her or for you?"

"Both, I guess. I never trusted anyone like I trust you and Pa and Joe. I'm not sure how much trust I can give her. She shoulda told me all of this right away."

"Yes, she should have, but she didn't realize she was falling in love with you then. Give her a chance. Let her surprise us."

"You think she'll be all right with Joe and Candy?"

"I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't think it was the best idea for now. She'll be at the house tonight when you get back, but don't try to settle everything right away. You both need time to sort things out too. Hoss did you know much of her history when you were first with her?"

"Ya, I knew what kind of woman she was then, but something about her just make me want to go back to just her over and over again." With an abrupt change of conversation, Hoss stood. "Do ya think it's about time that we headed to town to see if Roy has your mess all sorted out by now?"

So the two brothers rode into town not realizing the maelstrom that would greet them. The three men who had accused Adam had been drinking and spreading a lot of stories especially reminding everyone about the Paiute War and how Adam had come home uninjured after all those other men were killed or wounded with three times as many in the former category as in the latter. Roy was having a difficult time settling them down and talking to the three supposed eyewitnesses. They had been drinking and Roy inadvertently let slip that they had not mentioned that Adam had a beard. That brought forth all sorts of reactions and gave the three a chance to amend their stories, but they did not accurately describe what Adam was wearing. They mentioned the black shirt and yellow jacket, but Adam had worn a vest and lighter jacket with his usual black shirt and pants. It was a hole in their story. But not enough yet to get Adam off the hook.

By the time Adam and Hoss reached town, Roy had to lock Adam up for his own safety as much as for anything else. Worse news was that the lady passenger had left for Carson City expecting to be back for a trial so she was not immediately available either. The stage line did not have an answer for how much money was in the strongbox either because they were carrying money for several banks and businesses and did not have an accounting for the total. The main office had that information but it would take until Monday to get an exact accounting to the office in Virginia City if they sent a telegram immediately. Adam was looking at a weekend in jail and it put him in a foul mood.

Roy tried to ease the tension. "Now you can just relax in there. I'll be doing my best to get that lady to come here to identify you. Soon as she does that, and those three jaspers sober up so I can tell em what could happen because of a false statement to the sheriff, well then we'll have you out of here."

"Roy, you do know who that money belongs to. This is only going to get worse with more publicity."

"Adam, there ain't nothing I can do about that. Now I will be on the lookout for a stranger in town who might be that man Hoss' lady is worried about, but without a description, that's going to be difficult."

"Hoss can get you that information for Roy tonight. Hoss, could you reassure Annie that I'm all right but warn her that I might be here until Monday?"

"Adam, Annie is going to be very upset."

"Yes, but not with me. I can hardly get in any more trouble in here anyway. Now Roy needs to worry about Annie, not me."

At first, Adam's inclination was to shave, but then he realized how important it might be to have his beard so instead he asked Roy if he had anything to read. All Roy had was a stack of wanted posters and the old Territorial Enterprise with Adam's picture in it that the lady had used to identify him as the perpetrator of crimes. He settled down to read what he had and hoped Hoss would remember to bring him a book when he returned to town the next day.

Chapter 7

"Well, I have heard stories of you and your brothers ending up in this setting on more than one occasion but I did think that perhaps you would have managed to put this kind of behavior behind you."

"Ha ha, very funny. Now what did you bring to me? A pistol in a cake, a knife stuck in your boot, or something clever?"

"No, ya big lug. I thought you ought to suffer a little as you take your short vacation here."

Roy opened the cell and said nothing. He had heard enough from Annie already this morning that he wasn't about to give her another opening. He could recall her words well enough. Who would think a pretty gal like that would use words like those she called him. Well, he supposed she had all night to think about what she was going to say. And boy she did have one heck of a temper. It was a wonder to him that she and Adam hadn't had some terrible rows, but Ben said they argued all the time and seemed not to have a problem with it at all. He decided he wouldn't do any searching of what she brought either because being called a 'lily livered moronic horse's patoot' once was good enough for that day. Roy knew that Adam was innocent and had tried to explain that to Annie, but she couldn't understand why if he knew that, he locked Adam up anyway. Apparently arguing that he had to go by the evidence was not acceptable to the fiery young woman with a child on her hip. He pulled the door to the back cell area closed to give Adam and Annie some privacy.

"Roy is only doing his job."

"Listen, mister, I missed you. I slept alone for five nights now, and I am in no mood for forgiving."

"Yes, sweetheart, and what would you be in the mood for?"

"You know already, and I bet you're feeling the same way. This is ridiculous. When is that woman supposed to get here anyway?"

"Hopefully today. I paid for a ticket each way, meals, and a room if she wants it. I couldn't do it directly of course, but I gave Roy enough money to cover all of that so he could make the offer."

Gently, Adam took Andrew from his mother's arms and laid him on the cot. Then he gathered Annie in his arms and pulled her close. "You don't mind a kiss from a bearded man, do you?" She tipped her head up and pulled him closer which was answer enough. The kiss went on long enough that Andrew started fussing. Adam picked him up and then sat on the cot. Annie sat down beside him and laid her head against his shoulder.

"She's not with child."

"What? How could you know that?"

"I helped her pick out clothing to travel to the line shacks incognito this morning. Then she dressed while I was there. There are no signs of being with child, and there were signs that she was having her flow. Shep wouldn't keep his nose away from her. She found it very irritating, but I found it interesting so I didn't make him back off."

"Why would she say she was with child if she wasn't?"

"Oh, I could think of a few reasons."

"Oh, yeah. She could get my help, Hoss' help, and everyone's sympathy. Damn her, she hasn't changed a bit. Meanwhile she's put Hoss in a dangerous position. Did you say anything to Hoss or anyone else?"

"I told Michele what I thought, and she had been suspecting the same thing. She said she knew she changed when she was carrying a baby. She miscarried early, but the signs were still there. Marsha is either very stupid or very devious and clever, and you know which one of those ideas I favor."

Andrew was still fussing so Annie took him and checked his diaper which was dry. "I suspected as much. I changed him on the way in, but he hasn't eaten since early this morning. He's hungry. I'll nurse him here, but get ready to hand me a blanket to cover if anyone walks in here."

Their time together was uninterrupted because Roy was nervous about entering the back cell area. Annie had put quite a scare into him, and he didn't scare easily. She had that same kind of ferocious self-confidence her husband had when he was in the right. Roy was not going to cross her again in the same day. When Ben and Hoss arrived at Roy's office, they found him sitting at his desk drinking coffee with the door to the cells closed.

"I done told ya, Pa. That little gal can scare anybody when she's a mind to. I could tell how mad she was by the way she walked in here before. Hey, Roy, what do you think of Adam's she-lion now?" Hoss laughed at the look Roy gave him.

Ben was more direct. "Have you come to your senses enough so you can release Adam now?"

"Well, good morning to you two, too. I'm waiting on the stage. Hopefully when it comes in, we'll have ourselves a witness who can swear it wasn't Adam at that robbery. Adam gave me some information last night that might just give us a positive identification of who done it instead. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go wait for the stage. There's too many ornery people here in my office who don't know a proper respect for the law." Roy grabbed his hat, stuck it on his head, and stalked out.

Pouring out cups of Roy's awful coffee and drinking was about all Ben and Hoss could do. Neither wanted to interrupt the family time that Adam and Annie had, and they sat drinking bad coffee and discussing what they should do to help Marsha. It was a half hour before Roy returned with a middle aged lady who still had dust on her jacket from the ride. He dropped her bag by the door but asked Ben to please go tell Adam that the witness was there. Ben knocked on the door to the cells and waited a moment before entering. The lady was surprised at how polite everyone was being with a criminal but said nothing. Then Roy escorted her back to the cells. She looked in at Adam sitting with his wife and baby and then looked at each of the empty cells.

"Well, where is he?"

There were smiles all around except for the witness who looked quizzically at Roy. "Ma'am, this here is the man you identified as the one who stopped the stage and shot the driver."

"No, sheriff, the man I identified did not have a beard. And this man has wavy hair, and, young man, would you stand, please?"

Adam stood and walked to the cell bars.

"Sheriff, this man is taller too with broader shoulders. That other man was just a bit taller than me, but this man towers over me. I certainly would have noticed that. This is not the man who robbed that stage and shot that poor man down."

"Thank you, kindly, ma'am. Now I got just one more thing to ask of ya. Would you wait in my office while I go round up the other three witnesses and bring em here?"

"It won't take long, will it? I promised my husband I would be on the return stage. He worries about me a lot, and I was just gone on that trip to Placerville to see my parents."

"It shouldn't be long at all, ma'am. You can sit in one of them chairs and make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back."

A half hour later, three hung over cowboys stood shuffling their feet and looking down at the floor of the sheriff's office.

"Now, you boys swore that it was Adam Cartwright. But this lady who stood next to the man as he opened that strongbox says it ain't him. Now what do you boys have to say now?"

Their poorly planned effort to punish Adam for surviving the Paiute War had just gone up in flames. Clyde spoke first. "Well as he was riding away, we thought it kinda looked like him. We talked it over and decided it was him. I guess we were wrong."

"You guess you were wrong? Well, you boys can just unbuckle them gunbelts. You're spending a few days in jail until the judge decides on Monday what I should do about men who lie to the sheriff in sworn statements." Roy handed the ring of keys to Hoss and nodded at the back cell area.

"Now, Sheriff, it wasn't exactly a lie. It was more like we was mistaken."

"You three have been bad mouthing Adam Cartwright for years."

"Well, it ain't right that that Injun lover got away with it, and never got punished."

Annie walked out incensed by what she had heard as Adam followed behind with Andrew. Annie was ready for them. "He was beaten nearly every day for three months. He wasn't fed except for scraps. He slept in the open at night tied to a post. And every day they threatened to kill him. Finally they tried to trade him to avoid an Army assault. It took him weeks to recover when he was released. He still has nightmares about that experience. Now how exactly were you planning to make him suffer more for being a survivor? Do you plan to torment the other twenty-nine survivors of that battle? When can the men who lived that day begin to forget the horrors of what happened to them?"

There was silence for a moment. Then Roy picked up a wanted poster from his desk. "Adam was bored last night and spent some time looking through stacks of wanted posters. He found this one which is real interesting. Now any of you seen this man before?" The lady gasped and the three men got wide-eyed. The lady spoke first.

"Sheriff, that is the man. He has those same eyes and the straight hair. It's him."

Roy looked at the three cowboys who nodded and echoed each other's answers that it was him. "Now this here is James Reed. He's wanted in Texas and California for robberies and murder. His wife is suspected of being involved in his crimes. She rides sidesaddle." Roy pointed at the back cell area then and the three were going to head that way when Adam spoke up.

"It won't do any good, Roy. The judge will give them some time in jail, and they'll have something else to hold against me. Just let them go."

"If that's what you want then, Adam. But I got my own idea on where they're going next. Come with me, boys. Ma'am, thank you so much. You did a great job of helping justice today. Now I'm sure Ben would be willing to walk you over to the stage depot. Hoss, would you come with me?" Roy walked the three cowboys over to the Bucket of Blood and had them tell everyone they had lied about Adam. Then they went to the Silver Dollar. Eventually they had been in at least ten saloons with the same speech each time.

"Sheriff, ain't that enough? We done told just about everybody that we lied."

"Yeah, that's enough of that. Now the next thing is, there's jobs for cowboys in Texas, California, Arizona, Wyoming, Montana, and lots of other places. Get the idea?" All three nodded. "Then, I'll expect you'll be headed in one of those directions in the next hour, or I'll find room in my cells and more charges I can file against all three of you. Is that clear?" Again all three nodded, and Roy walked back to his office with a smile on his face. Then he remembered that Logan Manning had a man in town, and he would have to start working on that situation next.

Chapter 8

After speaking briefly with Roy and sending off a couple of telegrams, Adam was ready to go home. He would have preferred being in the carriage with Annie, but that meant his father would have to ride Sport. He did mention the possibility, but the look on his father's face let him know that wasn't going to happen. So he rode next to Hoss and ahead of the carriage. The two of them could talk.

"Have you thought about what we discussed on the way into town?"

"Yeah, and I want to do what I can to protect Marsha, but Adam, I got some worries too."

"Let me guess. You're wondering what else she didn't tell us. You're thinking that she could be lying. And probably you're not so sure that if she's with child that it could be yours."

"Why do you even ask me questions when you got all the answers already?"

"Hoss, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you, but those are the same thoughts I've been having."

"Oh, that's all right. This whole thing has me on edge all the time. I don't know what to worry about most. I can't see as how that baby could be mine cause it takes a gal a while to know, doesn't it? And we ain't been together much and only in the last month. The first time was in Sacramento, and then only once here. Adam, I just don't know what to think."

"You're doing fine. Everything you said is logical, but also points to her not telling the truth or at least not all of it. Annie and Michele don't think she's with child at all."

"They think she made that story up? Why would she do that?" One look at Adam, and Hoss knew too. "Yeah, she pegged me just right, don't you think. Little gal claims to be in trouble and all I can think about is helping her. But why did she go to you and not me then?"

"Believability. If she went to me and claimed it was because she could trust me, then she gets me on her side too and has me tell the story to you. Me getting arrested worked right into her plans."

"She is in danger though, isn't she? I mean, Logan Manning is a dangerous man."

"Yes, that part is probably true. That's why she wanted to ensnare us in her scheme. She needs help. But what has me confused is what help is she after exactly? She's got money. She could have gone somewhere with that money so that he wouldn't find her. Why stop so close, and leave herself open to being attacked?"

"And us too."

Adam rode for a while deep in thought. Finally he looked at Hoss and shook his head. "She's bringing him here, if she can, so he'll be killed. Even if he isn't, he'll go to trial here for killing us because there's no possible way for him to avoid that unless he goes on the run. No matter what happens, she's rid of him."

"And she can go live anywhere she wants with the money she's got."

"Hoss, that valise full of money would be enough for an ordinary person, but Marsha has expensive tastes. She must have more to this plan, but I have no idea what that would be. I was thinking that she hoped to marry you and get access to the Ponderosa wealth, but she must have seen that our wealth requires a lot of work and much of it is tied up in property."

Both men were lost in thought for much of the rest of the ride. Once they got home though, Adam had some very clear ideas of what he wanted to do. "I'm going to shave in the washroom and take a bath. Annie, after you put Andrew in his cradle, would you bring me some clean clothes?" But Adam had a look in his eye that said there was going to be more than a shave and a bath going on in that washroom. He asked Hop Sing for hot water and lathered up his face. With his shirt off, he was shaving almost a week's worth of whiskers from his face when Annie got there with his clean clothing. She watched him shave and asked what he and Hoss had been discussing so intently on the ride home. So he filled her in on their ideas as he shaved. Then he sat on the bench and pulled off his boots.

"Do you want me to stay and scrub your back?"

"Sweetheart, I had a lot more than back scrubbing in mind although that would be a good start." He grinned and she knew he had a plan. Hop Sing brought in buckets of water then and began filling the tub. Adam had already put wood in the stove in the washroom and it was pleasantly warm in there. Hop Sing smiled as he left for he had some idea what Mister Adam might be planning especially because he had fired up that small stove to heat the room. He seldom did that except in winter for he was, by nature, a warm man. As soon as Hop Sing left the room, Adam locked the door. Annie looked at him and wondered what he had in mind although she was starting to get an idea. He saw her look and responded by undressing.

"I need a bath and I missed you a lot. I was thinking we could combine the two and save time assuming you missed me as well."

"It's the middle of the day! Your father and brother are out there."

"My father has been married four times now, and Hoss has a pretty good idea of what men and women like to do together. If you don't say anything, they won't say anything."

"But Michele will know too."

"Michelle probably wishes my father would think of things like this to do too. Now are you joining me or not. I shaved." He gave her that cheeky grin before he stepped into the water and sat down. Leaning back, he watched her. She began to unbutton her dress slowly as a smile crept over her lips. "Now, you're teasing me."

"Do you want me to stop?"

"Not at all. I'm appreciating this very much." Adam started running the bar of soap across his arms and chest. Annie began to speed up her undressing which made him grin. However all thoughts of Annie scrubbing his back disappeared as they found much more pleasurable things to do. Afterwards, Adam held Annie close and kissed her softly. "They'll never know except I think we got your hair wet." He stood pulling her up with him and then grabbed a towel to dry her hair. She toweled dry with his help and dressed. Adam helped her with her hair, and when it was presentable, they both walked out of the washroom as if they had done nothing out of the ordinary. In the great room, Michele handed Andrew to Annie.

"He was fussing a little so I've been rocking him, but I think he wants what his mother has."

Watching Annie walk up the stairs to go to their bedroom to nurse Andrew, Adam wanted to go with her and wanted to stay and talk with the others about what to do about Marsha. His father saw his look.

"Go ahead and go with your wife. Fifteen more minutes aren't going to matter. You should be with them."

Adam didn't need much prompting. With a suggestion he was going to make, he would be missing his family again very soon. When he got to the bedroom, Annie was already seated and nursing their son. Adam sat on the bed and watched not saying a thing. These were the kinds of memories and moments that needed no words. When Andrew finished nursing, Adam took him and held him on his shoulder until he burped and fell asleep. He laid him down in the cradle and asked Annie to come with him leaving the door open.

"We need to talk downstairs. We'll leave the door open so we can hear him if he needs us."

Once downstairs again, Adam made his suggestion. As expected Annie and Michele objected. We need to keep you safe. I refuse to allow my son to be placed in jeopardy, and I know he is. This is the best solution. We can have you there by the end of today."

"We can't just drop in on them like this." Michele did not know Annie and the Swede, but Adam's wife Annie did for Adam was quite fond of the couple and they felt the same toward him.

Ben agreed it was the best plan. "Adam and I can have you over there in just a couple of hours. Hoss can go get Joe and Candy. They can bring Marsha back here."

"But we want to be here to help." Annie was feisty.

"We can't protect you and protect Marsha and ourselves at the same time. It leaves us too vulnerable."

"What if they find out where we are?"

"We'll stop by Jeremy's place and get him to go with you. I'm sure Swede knows some men who could help too. You'll be fine."

Neither Annie nor Michele liked the idea of being gone from their husbands, but begrudgingly they had to admit, it was the best idea. Logan Manning probably already knew Marsha was on the Ponderosa, and he would have been collecting information about the family by now. They did need to be away to be safe. It didn't take long to pack, and Andrew was still sleeping in his cradle so Adam carried him in it to the large carriage setting him on the back seat. He tied Sport to the back, and Ben rode beside the carriage with Annie sitting with Andrew in the back and Michele seated next to Adam on the seat. As expected, Jeremy agreed to go along, and they got a warm welcome from Annie and the Swede. Adam hugged Annie tightly as they said goodbye. Ben gave Michele a hug and long kiss too. Then the two men headed back to the Ponderosa to try to clean up the mess into which Marsha had put them.

As they rode, Adam suggested they stop in Virginia City briefly to see if there was any answer to the telegrams, and to check in with Roy. Adam had the answers he wanted to his telegrams, and Roy had identified several men that could be assumed to be working for Logan Manning. Two of them had been visiting saloons and surreptitiously ferreting out information on the Cartwrights not knowing how well the Cartwrights were liked by the saloon girls who quickly alerted Roy to the presence of these shady characters asking these questions. Roy quietly hired a few more deputies to keep an eye on them.

Up on the mountain, Hoss had arrived at the line shack. He told the three there what had happened and summoned them back home. Marsha noticed a change in Hoss' demeanor and suspected she knew why. She said little, so Hoss dominated the conversation on the way home. He especially delighted in describing how Roy had made Nate, Clyde, and Paul go to the saloons where they had spread their lies and admit it. He assumed they would never see the three again.

Once everyone arrived back on the Ponderosa, Adam and Hoss talked to the hands to set up security. Inside the house, Candy and Joe closed all the shutters. It would be hotter in the house that way, but there would be less surprises too. Ben moved firearms into each room of the house preparing as well as he could for an assault that all of them expected. Once they had made all the preparations they could, they sat down to share a meal. It didn't have the lighthearted banter that usually accompanied a meal with these men. Marsha knew it was all because of her, but that didn't bother her as much as the fact that she suspected they knew more about her plans and no longer believed her story. Hoss was not affectionate although he was polite. Marsha excused herself early saying she was tired and needed to sleep. Once she was upstairs, Ben and Hoss filled Candy and Joe in on what had happened. Joe was very angry.

"She's still a gal, Joe, and that man wants to kill her. No matter what she done, we have to protect her."

But upstairs, Marsha was packing a small bag and dressed in all dark clothing suitable for fleeing in the dark. She planned to slip out after everyone was in bed and sleeping. She thought she could be far from the house by the time anyone realized she was gone. Guards were set to stop someone approaching the house. No one would be expecting someone to leave.

Chapter 9

"She's gone, Mr. Cartwright. She rode right on by us before we even had any idea she was there."

Guards had been set, but Marsha had evaded them because they had never expected her to do what she had done. They had underestimated her deviousness once again. Ben told the men to go back to the bunkhouse for there was no one left to protect. He would not risk their lives following her in the dark. She had made her choice and would have to live or die with it. When the men got back inside, they talked briefly.

"Why didn't she want our help? We woulda protected her." Hoss still had some feelings for her even though he knew what kind of woman she was.

Adam stood next to where Hoss was sitting and simply placed a hand on his shoulder. "She has some plan that we don't know. We knew there was more to this than she was telling. I guess we may never know what she was really doing here."

After pouring himself a small brandy, Ben sat in the red chair. "No, Adam, I think she underestimated us. She never thought we would figure out that she was lying as quickly as we guessed it. Whatever her plan was, it apparently didn't involve us knowing what we were facing. Once she got back here, and Hoss acted differently toward her, she knew."

With nothing more to say, the men drifted off to their beds one by one. The next day was Sunday, and most of the hands would be leaving for the roundup that was supposed to start on Monday. Ben had thought to keep them for security but now thought he wouldn't have to do that. By midday, Ben and Adam planned to go pick up the ladies and Andrew. Each fell into sleep with a lot of questions but not as much worry.

Adam and the others each awoke the next morning with a gun barrel pressed to their throats. Marsha had undone the shutter in her bedroom and left through the window and down the porch roof. None of them had thought to check her room before retiring and Manning's men entered the house the same way. All of them were marched downstairs one by one and tied to dining room chairs. Manning himself sat in a big red leather chair and waited until that task was completed.

"Now what do you want? You must know by now that the woman you were following is gone." Ben could see no reason for them being tied up.

"Ah, but you see, I'm not sure she is truly gone. Once your men leave, then we will thoroughly search the premises. Unless one of you would like to volunteer the information to speed up this whole process."

Adam tried to push Manning into revealing his purpose but got more than he expected. "What do you hope to gain from this? Marsha is gone, and the sheriff has the money."

"Yes, you, I owe you something." Manning backhanded Adam several times. "It was you who gave her the seed that grew into this. You weren't satisfied taking her to your bed. You had to tell her she was too smart to be my consort. You told her she could leave and be anything she wanted to be. Oh yes, I have heard for the past couple of years all these ideas you planted in her head. So this is all really your fault."

Ben could see the jeopardy in which Adam had been placed. He tried to come up with a solution. "We can replace the money she took from you. The valise had what? Twenty thousand? Thirty thousand?"

Manning began laughing so hard even a few of his men grinned. "Twenty thousand! Thirty thousand! You think that is all she took from me. She drained my bank accounts and sent the money to banks all over the country. She has the papers necessary to claim the million she took from me. Ah, I can see from your expressions that you had no idea what that vixen could do. Yes, I only discovered the missing funds after she left. She timed it all out quite perfectly. I should have had her working on the financial part of my businesses. Of course I gave her too much freedom, and this is how she repaid me. I need that money. I owe people, and they will not be happy with me if I cannot make my payments. So you see, I have nothing more to lose except my life. I will do what it takes to get my money back. Now, where is she?"

Hours later and after fruitless searching, Manning stomped back into the house. They had found no trace of where Marsha might be. The men in the house were telling the truth, but that would not save them.

"By rights, I ought to shoot every last one of you for interfering. But I do think that the embarrassment of being completely fooled by that vixen will be more than enough punishment for you all. Good day, and I do hope you manage to free yourselves before you starve to death. Well, maybe I wouldn't feel so bad about that after all. Ta da." As Manning got to the door, he motioned to Clyde, Paul, and Nate. "You boys did well. Come on outside, and I'll give you what you earned and maybe a bonus too." With smiles, the three men proceeded outside. Less than a minute later, there was the sound of three shots followed by three more in slow succession.

"Why'd he shoot em?"

"Hoss, he's cleaning up the loose ends."

"But, Adam, he said he wouldn't shoot us."

Adam was working his chair over toward Joe. It was a painstaking process and he didn't think he had a lot of time. Joe understood what he was doing and worked his chair around and then toward Adam. "Be careful, Joe. If we tip over, this won't work." Once Adam reached Joe, he moved his chair so that Joe's hand was next to one of the knots binding him to the chair. As Joe started to work on loosening it, all of them suddenly got a whiff of a foul smell.

Ben was shocked. "He's spreading coal oil around the house." Then he had a suggestion. "Hoss, you're the only one who can do this. Can you smash that chair to get loose?"

As Joe loosened one knot and then another, Adam was slowly freeing himself. As soon as he could reach his pocket, he pulled out a penknife and cut the remaining ropes. Then he cut Joe free handing him the small knife so he could free the others. Adam ran outside with Hoss by his side as he had finally smashed the chair and gotten free. Both had grabbed pistols and headed in opposite directions around the house to find the men spreading the coal oil in order to stop them before they started the fires that would consume the house. Hoss reached his man who raised his arms immediately, but the man Adam found was about to light a small pile of debris soaked in coal oil. When he refused to throw down the lit match, Adam shot him and then ran and stomped the sparks into the dust. By then, Joe, Candy, and Ben were there to help. Ben had freed Hop Sing who came to the back of the house with buckets of sand. They began covering the coal oil in a thin coating of sand. Soon it would no longer be a danger as some would soak down into the soil and some would evaporate. As they worked, Roy rode into the yard.

"What happened here? I was coming out to tell ya that those Manning men weren't in town no more. And why are these three dead?"

Hoss was the first to speak. "Adam shoulda let you lock these three jaspers up. They done told Manning how to get to the house without us seeing em. They musta signed on with him in town after Roy told em to leave. I'm guessing they were watching the house."

"Who shot them?"

"Manning or one of his men. We were tied up at the time."

Clyde, Paul, and Nate were laying on the porch. Each had been shot in the back and then the coup de grace had been administered to their foreheads. Logan Manning did not let any loose ends around. But he had never run into the type of planning from potential victims as he had faced with Adam and Ben Cartwright although they had nearly perished too.

"We have one prisoner too, and there's a wounded man out back who probably won't make it. I had to shoot him so he wouldn't fire the house." Adam regretted the shooting but would have done it again exactly the same if given the choice. He just didn't like having to kill someone.

"I got the alerts out on Marsha and on Manning. First town they stop in, they'll be arrested. Now you say you were tied up?" As the men nodded, Roy was calculating what other charges he could level. He could smell the coal oil as well. "Were they gonna fire the house?"

"Yeah, Roy, with us inside. I think you can add attempted arson and attempted murder to those charges you're thinking about." Ben sat down on a chair on the porch, but Adam was headed to the stable. "Adam, where are you going?"

"If they knew so much, I'm afraid they know where Annie and Andrew are. I'm riding there now."

Seeing the wisdom of that and the urgency, all the men saddled their horses to head to Annie and Swede's place as Roy headed back to town. Hoss and Ben could not keep up the furious pace set by Joe, Adam, and Candy on their horses so they told the three to go ahead and that they would be right behind them. By the time they reached their destination, the horses were lathered and blowing. Swede walked out of the house to greet them.

"Now what's so awful you had to nearly kill these horses getting here?"

"Manning is on the loose. Is everyone here and safe?" Adam might have been holding his breath waiting for the answer.

"Ya, Ya, they are all inside eating cookies. Come in, you see, come in."

Joe and Candy volunteered to look after the horses as Ben and Adam followed Swede into the house. Swede's Annie met them at the door with hugs and reassurances that all was well. Adam gathered up his wife and held her close without saying a word. Ben did the same with Michele. When they released their wives, they wanted to know what had happened.

"Sweetheart, I am so glad that you and Andrew weren't there."

"Adam, what happened?" So Adam kept his arm around his wife and told the story to the mesmerized group. Several times he stopped the narrative to see if his father had anything to add, but Ben told him to keep going. Finally he told them of the execution of the three men who had falsely accused him, and that Manning was on the loose and that they had no idea where Marsha had run. Annie could feel the tension in Adam's body and knew that he was still very worried.

"Adam, do you think it's safe to go home?"

Not having a good answer for that, Adam hugged her closer. Ben had not considered up to that point that it might not be safe to go home, but with Adam's lack of a response, he thought about why it might not be safe. Manning did not leave witnesses so if he found they were still alive, he might want to tidy up that part of his affairs. He had shown a cunning ability to get to them once already. Swede took care of their immediate concerns by telling them it was too late to go home anyway so they ought to spend the night. Adam smiled and thanked his host. After dinner, everyone was relieved when Adam and Swede got into a discussion of how to improve their mansion. Swede wondered if one of those indoor water closets like they had in the best San Francisco hotels could be put in his house, and Adam thought there would be no problem. Soon they were talking measurements and material requirements as the ladies made suggestions of how to make it more practical. In the morning, Ben thanked his host for the lodging.

"If your son fixes us up with that indoor water closet, you'll be owed a lot more than one night's lodging. It gets awful cold here in the winter trudging outside, and the bugs in the summer are mighty pesky. It is going to be quite the luxury for my Annie to have that."

Helping Michele into the carriage, Ben climbed up on the seat to drive. Buck was tied behind, and Annie and Andrew had the back seat. Adam was riding because he and his father thought that if there was trouble, it was better that Adam and Jeremy be mobile. The ride home was pleasant despite some drizzle as they neared the ranch house which seemed to be very quiet. Adam rode ahead to make sure there was no trouble as Jeremy and Ben went on alert watching for any sign of trouble. When Adam neared the house, he saw no one, but there was a strange horse tied up outside. He tied Sport to a tree, and carefully approached the house. He looked in the kitchen window and saw that Hop Sing was talking to someone. As he listened, he relaxed and returned to the others telling them everything was fine. As they pulled into the yard, Hop Sing came outside with Roy to meet them. As Ben greeted his old friend, he had to ask why he was there.

"Well, now, Mondays are kinda quiet in town. Today there were some burials, and Dan is putting this whole story in the paper and had a few questions. None of that took much time so I thought I would come out here with news."

Smiling at his father's exasperation with the length of time it took Roy to deliver any kind of news, Adam just asked him what his news was.

"None of you need concern yourselves about that Manning. They picked him up in Carson City. He's sitting in the jail cells there with his men. I sent the list of charges over there. They wanted permission to try him there cause it's a gonna be a feather in the cap of the prosecutor and the governor too to have that nasty rascal tried and convicted in our state when California wasn't able to do that. I said I sure had no problem with that and told em they could keep all of em. That's all right with you, ain't it?"

"It is just great with us. We can ride to Carson as easily as to Virginia City. Now what about Marsha?"

"Well, that Manning gave em some clues about her, but I for one ain't holding my breath. That is one smart woman. I'd say she probably covered her tracks real well. I don't think the law is all that interested in finding her anyways. She stole from a criminal. Don't hardly seem worth the effort to catch her."

"She must have been planning this for a long time in order to have all the paperwork ready to move the money, and to have all the rest of her scheme planned out."

"Adam, you just thank your lucky stars that you didn't get killed cause of her. I truly think she meant for Manning to kill all of you and then get tried for murder here. She may be smart but it's her ice cold heart that scares me the most. I hope to God none of us ever see her again."

"If they do want to find her, tell them to try New Orleans. That based on something she said to me a long time ago."

"All righty, Adam, I'll do that. Now Hop Sing done invited me for lunch, and if you don't mind too much, I'd like to stay and visit with all of you. It's not often I get to be in the middle of a happy family."

Walking up to Roy, Annie handed off Andrew. "Perhaps you wouldn't mind holding him while I get our things into the house?"

Roy's smile showed how pleased he was. Ben went in the house with the ladies as the others took care of the horses. Life was getting back to normal. Adam would have to leave to catch up to his brothers at the roundup, but Ben was staying home this year leaving it up to his sons to get the count. Jeremy shared lunch with them and then headed to his home to get his gear and ride to the roundup as well.

A month later in New Orleans, Marsha stepped from the riverboat onto the dock under her new identity of Michelle Renoir, wealthy widow, who intended to enjoy many years of leisure living in the city she had dreamed of seeing for so many years. She smiled as men were anxious to call a carriage for her and load her luggage in the back. They probably assumed it was clothing, but one million dollars took a lot of space. The driver listened to her directions very politely, and then drove her directly to the police station. As she objected that was not her destination, he turned to her with a pistol in his hand to inform her that it was indeed her destination.


End file.
